When it comes to remodeling a home, exterior renovation isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind for homeowners.
Kitchens, bathrooms and basements seem to be at the top of the wish list.
But for Rick and Jeanne Stensland of Edmonds, there wasn’t much choice.
It all started with a strange little line of gnat-like bugs parading along their bedroom floor one day.
Quickly, the Stenslands worked their way down a list of exterminators in the phone book.
All of them, however, wanted the Stenslands to sign contracts for continued service.
“I’m thinking, ‘No, I don’t think so,’” said Rick Stensland, who called one more extermination service that had a different, more correct opinion of their problem. “They said, ‘You don’t need us, you need a contractor.’”
They had moisture ants.
It turned out the entire east wall of their home needed to be replaced.
Though the problem never really turned up in the presale inspection in 2000, poorly installed siding and a botched deck job likely helped the ants become established.
It was at this point in 2006 that the Stenslands took a serious look at the exterior of their spacious home.
Its front was a bit odd, a “big, dorky, tall façade,” as Rick Stensland put it.
Built in the 1980s, their home’s dominating feature was a two-story solarium that faced the street. It was long and thin, quite contemporary and tall, just deep enough for a chair.
It was supposed to be a passive-solar area, a “green” feature of its day, but it felt more like a fish bowl.
“It was uncomfortable,” Rick Stensland said. “It was hot or it was cold, seldom in between.”
The Stenslands tried growing a jungle of plants, but their collection died from overheating and a lack of venting.
It only made sense then, when the Stenslands hired Chermak Construction of Edmonds to replace their wall, that they would also hire someone to reside (The Bowen Co. of Lynnwood) and paint the entire house (Ballard Coatings Management of Seattle).
Now, roughly $150,000 and quite a few other improvements later, the Stenslands have a home made newer from the outside.
“We really like mission style and Arts and Crafts kind of stuff,” said Rick Stensland, who hired Robert Kroese of PKJB Architectural Group of Seattle to bring the look of their home’s design more in line with their tastes.
Their sleek and modern siding has been replaced by beige-stained cedar shingles and brown-painted accent siding. Their gargantuan solarium is gone and now more modest, thick-framed windows bring light into the entire home.
Jeanne Stensland loves the new look, especially their extra-large fir front door, now tucked under a small porch, yet another improvement incorporated into the project.
“I’m so much more proud of my house,” she said. “It’s becoming more our house.”
Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com
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